§ Lord Gardinerasked Her Majesty's Government:
(1) What authorisations have been given since June 1978 for the transfer of personal information held by one Government department for one purpose to another Government department, or any other third party, for another purpose; and
(2) Where such authorisations have been given otherwise than in accordance with a statutory power, who has given them, by what authority, and according to what criteria.
§ The Lord President of the Council (Lord Soames)There is no centrally maintained record of transfers of such information by Government departments; these are matters for the individual departmental Ministers concerned. The Government's general approach to the handling of personal information was set out in the statement in another place on 19th March by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. (Vol. 1, cols. 161–162).
House adjourned at twenty-five minutes before ten o'clock.